04 agosto 2010

Miss Universe criticised for wearing fur

Wednesday, August 4 2010, 04:35 BST
By Rebecca Davies

Miss Universe Australia has come under fire for wearing unethical clothes as her national costume in the international beauty pageant.

18-year-old Jesinta Campbell, who is due to represent her country in the 2010 finals later this month, has been criticised by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) after wearing the combination of a sheepskin shrug and Ugg boots.

PETA spokesperson Jason Baker told AAP that the costume should be banned because it uses wool sourced from mulesed sheep, an "agonising" experience for the animals.

Baker said: "In light of the cruelty involved in mulesing, we're sure that you, like any ethical person, would no more want to have wool as part of your outfit than you would want to parade around on stage wearing the skins of other victims of cruelty."

Campbell has previously been quoted as saying that the outfit is "magnificent", "incredible" and "something that I am really proud to wear".